[Hallicrafters] Re: Digi-crafters

[kiyoinc at attglobal.net]

** Reply to note from K5MO Wed, 21 Apr 2004 00:30:08 -0400 (EDT)

> Lots of interesting conversation regarding digital readouts and the 
> like. While the AADE unit looks like a nice piece,  I'd have to question 
> why one would want to tear into vintage gear and paste a digital dial in 
> there?   
>  
> I guess it would be useful to watch how much drift occurs, but there's 
> easier and less invasive ways of accomplishing that.   
>  
> Why would anyone particularly care whether you're listening on 7040, 
> 7040.8 7041.2 or 7045, if operating vintage BA gear? If you start on 
> 7040 with much Halli gear, you're likely to end on 7042 or 7038 before 
> too long anyway! Why rush the process?

mmmm, not exactly the point.  I discuss digital readouts vice analog
displays on my boatanchor website, www.kiyoinc.com/heathstuff.html

Some background.  I mostly work on SB-303's, stable LMO, 1 kHz
readout, I have three SB-101/102s that I'm restoring in my spare (?)
time.

You are absolutely right, better that 1 kHz readout loses its point
when you're tuning in 6 kHz wide AM signals.   Ditto 2.5 kHz wide
SSB, until we channelize 40 meters, that is.  

However, my SX-100 with the 1 kHz digital display is VERY nice above
10 mHz. The analog dial gets crowded up there.  Seeing 14.235 on the
display helps a lot.  The bandspread for 20 meters has 20 kHz marks
at about 1/4 inch.  15 meters has 50 kHz marks.  

Then there are the non-ham bands, the foreign broadcast, the digital
display really helps there.

For just tuning around, I do use the analog dial but glance over to
the digital display too.

My pre-AADE digital display is a low-impact mod.  It has its own case
and connects to a single UHF connector on the SX-100.  One tack
solder, easily reversable.  

There is no reason to butcher a boatanchor. The signals can be
brought out to an external counter.

The AADE DFD is so small that I could build it into a Heathkit where
the 1-2-3-4-5 display scale lives.  I probably won't.  I'm thinking
about an external box with a speaker, maybe an audio response shaping
filter, a clock-timer, etc. 

I have an SX-101A and would not put a digital display on that. The
bandspread is so wide that it just isn't needed.  

Also if you have several similar boatanchors, you can use the same
external counter on all of them. 

de ah6gi/4